Traditional Japanese Foods

Clearspring has long-established and close working relationships with the finest producers of traditional Japanese foods.

Over the centuries the Japanese have developed a unique cultural skill of constant refinement and attention to detail in their arts and crafts. This skill applied to food production has created some remarkable Japanese foods.

Clearspring founder, Christopher Dawson, lived in Japan for eighteen years from 1980, during which time he travelled extensively throughout the country, seeking out the finest producers of traditional Japanese foods.

Such was his enthusiasm for the foods he discovered that he set up Clearspring with the aim of introducing people around the world to the delights of hand crafted Japanese foods, maintaining the viability of the producers' age-old techniques and providing economic stability for the local communities.

Each Clearspring Japanese food is made to a centuries-old recipe using techniques that have evolved through generations of skilled craftsmen.

In Japanese cuisine there is more emphasis on vegetable quality foods than animal foods. The huge variety of seasonal foods results in an appreciation of when the different foods are in season and their suitability for providing satisfaction at that time of year when their quality is at its best. Also, there is less emphasis on heavy main courses and overly sweet desserts.

The Japanese people value subtle tastes and flavours. Appearance is almost as important as the actual taste and the quality of each dish is more important than the quantity. Care is taken to make the prepared foods very digestible, so you can leave the table feeling satisfied on all levels without feeling stuffed.

These differences could be explained by the relative scarcity of arable land in Japan, which has created the need to gain the maximum nutrition value from the available grains, vegetables, fresh fruits and limited animal products. Culturally, Buddhist traditions have emphasised vegetarianism. Japan's distinct four season climate has also had a profound influence on the cuisine.